panniers

Hello peeps! I hope you’re having a good week! Today we’re gonna talk about underwear for cosplay. You may be wondering: why the heck are we talking about this; can’t I just wear what I normally do? In some cases; yes, but wearing specialty undergarments can really make or break a costume.

First we’ll talk about spandex costumes and anything skin tight. Spandex is fun, but it’s also kind of a pain in the buns; it has a bad habit of flattening chests & bums and simultaneously making you look fatter than you actually are. So to combat this; people cosplaying lady characters should invest in a super push up bra to fight back against spandex’s compression, and if you’re concerned about your belly/waist, you can also invest in an open-bust style shapewear bodysuit (they usually come in styles that stop mid-thigh or thong styles). If your skin-tight costume has skin-tight pants (i.e. Catwoman catsuit or something similar) you’re going to want to invest in some seamless panties or a thong; panty lines WILL show and ruin the flow of your cosplay. Sads. Also, if your costume is white and skin tight; wear nude colored undies; white will make it obvious where your undergarments begin and end. Even though I’m cosplaying Chibi-Moon in the photo below, I’m still wearing a bombshell bra from VS to give myself an hourglass figure/cancel out the flattening.

If you’re cosplaying a magical girl or someone with a very full skirt (like Rose Quartz or Cardcaptor Sakura) you may want to buy (check out Lolita fashion boards for advice) or make a petticoat and/or hoop skirt (there are different kinds based on historical eras btw) to give your skirt that extra FLOOF! Adding these elements can take your cosplay from “meh” to “wow!” Similarly, adding boning to support bodices can also help make your costume look more crisp and professional. If you’re cosplaying a historical character, you can also make yourself a corset to go underneath your outfit or purchase one.

If modesty is your thing and you’re worried about creeps taking upskirt photos of you at cons or just windy days, buy a pair of cheer leading practice shorts/booty shorts to wear under costumes with short skirts.

Finally, dance tights! Dance tights are the best things ever when it comes to giving your legs some nice definition for cosplays where you can see them. They’re not as sheer as pantyhose and they’re usually not shiny, but they do give your legs a nice uniform look and will conceal any cuts/bruises (if you’re accident-prone like me…) and most tattoos. You can also sew thigh highs or thigh-high spandex boot covers to them which means no more pulling thigh highs up all day.

That’s all I have for today, and please remember, take all of this with a grain of salt – you do you and whatever you’re comfortable with in terms of shape-wear.